It's not performance enhancing

Cannabis is not performance enhancing. Steroids need to be banned because using steroids is cheating. Cannabis doesn't enhance performance. It should be a rule not to be high on the field (unless it's medically necessary to do so) just as it would not be appropriate for a player to be drunk on the field. However, cannabis use on their off time doesn't compromise the integrity of the game anymore than alcohol.

It is very beneficial.

Cannabis in general is a very beneficial drug. It not only gets you high but it also helps in several areas on medicine that include pain relief, calming of the mind, focus, sleeping aid, among many others. It is time we recognize that this is a magical herb that helps a lot more than most things and does not have a bunch of messed up side effects.

Yes, or they could travel to the nearest legal state. Athletes travel for all manner of treatments.

Our attitude towards drugs is almost as insane as our attitudes about sex these days. On the one hand, we have the DEA going after any doctor who hands out too many opiate-based pain pills and we have the various drug warriors claiming pain pill abuse is the worst thing ever that is going to kill all of our children. Then, on the other hand, we have places like the NFL and the VA claiming that their players and patients are better off taking those very same pain pills or in the case of the VA powerful and generally horrible psychiatric drugs rather than smoking the " evil" weed.

Medical Cannabis should be accepted by the NFL

The NFL supposedly has a strict drug policy, however medical prescriptions should not fall under this category. If it is medically prescribed it doesn't necessarily mean that they medically require it, but cannabis has not been shown to increase any performance stats, in fact it could be quite on the contrary. So there is no reason why medical cannabis shouldn't be accepted in the NFL.

Football players need to be clean on and off the field

No, cannabis is a drug no matter how you look at it. Even if cannabis is used medicinally, there are side effects. Football players will lack alertness and their movements will be slowed. Athletes should not be taking cannabis at all. It's the same as with steroids. The body is being tampered with, and play is compromised - with steroids the body goes into overdrive and with cannabis the body gets sluggish. Players should seek regular medical attention like the rest of us, and players should sit out games if they are injured. One of the main reasons medical cannabis is being utilized is for addicts, to stop addicts from using harder drugs that could kill them. There is no place in the NFL for cannabis.